Flex-fitting cable tray

ABSTRACT

A cable tray system including two or more cable tray sections comprising a first side rail and a second side rail arranged substantially parallel to one another and a floor extending between. The tray system also includes one or more flex-wires for joining the cable tray sections, where the flex-wires can be U- or loop-shaped. Upon exerting tension on the flex-wires, the first and second cable tray sections can move away from one another from a first position to a second position. In addition, the tray system includes a fastening device that removably locks the tray system into the second position.

BACKGROUND

The present disclosure relates to cable tray systems for use with electrical and other cable and wiring systems.

Cable trays are used to support cables, electrical wires and the like which run through, over, and around buildings. Cable trays may have both straight and curved (horizontal and/or vertical) sections to accommodate the installation requirements of particular settings. There is a need for straight and curved sections to have flexibility to accommodate even more installation requirements.

SUMMARY OF THE DISCLOSURE

One aspect of the disclosure is directed to a cable tray system comprising two or more rigid cable tray sections coupled by one or more flex-wires. In some embodiments the cable tray system of claim further comprises a removable fastening device coupled to the two or more cable tray sections to minimize flexibility of the two or more cable tray sections, relative to one another, when coupled. In some embodiments, one or more cable tray sections, each cable tray section comprising a first side rail and a second side rail arranged substantially parallel to one another and a floor extending between and connecting the first and second side rails. The cable tray system also comprises one or more flex-wires for coupling joining the cable tray sections. In some embodiments, the flex-wire can be a U-shaped flex-wire extending a length, L, wherein a first leg of the U-shaped flex-wire is coupled to a first cable tray section and wherein a second leg of the U-shaped flex-wire is coupled to a second cable tray section. In other embodiments, the flex-wire is a loop-shaped flex-wire, wherein a first side of the loop-shaped flex-wire is coupled to a first cable tray section and wherein a second side of the loop-shaped flex-wire is coupled to a second cable tray section. In other embodiments, the flex-wire can be shaped in other manners, including, but not limited to a V or W shape. The cable tray system is configured such that upon exerting tension on the flex-wires, the first and second cable tray sections move away from one another from a first position to a second position.

In some embodiments, the cable tray system further comprises a removable fastening device that locks the tray system into the second position. In other embodiments, the first leg of the U-shaped flex-wire is coupled to a first cable tray section by one of a weld or a looped end of the first leg and wherein a second leg of the U-shaped flex-wire is coupled to a second cable tray section by one of a weld or a looped end of the second leg. In other embodiments, the first leg of the loop-shaped flex-wire is coupled to a first cable tray section by one of a weld or a looped portion of the first leg and wherein a second leg of the loop-shaped flex-wire is coupled to a second cable tray section by one of a weld or a looped portion of the second leg.

In some embodiments, each cable tray section has one or more sidewalls extending vertically upward or downward from, and generally perpendicularly to, the floor of the cable tray section. Similarly, each flex-wire for joining the cable tray sections is bent in an “L” shape that approximately matches the “L” shape of the bend of the sidewalls from the floor of the cable tray section. In other embodiments, the ends of the flex-wires may be bent at other angles less than, or greater than 90 degrees. For example, in some embodiments, the legs of the flex-wires can be bent at approximately 45 degree angles.

In some embodiments, upon exerting tension on the flex-wire, the first cable tray section moves away from the second cable tray section from a first position to a second position in one of a substantially upwards, downwards or radial direction. That is, the flex-wires comprise a material that is both rigid and bendable. Similarly, in other embodiments, upon exerting tension on the flex-wire, the first cable tray section moves away from the second cable tray section from a first position to a second position in two of a substantially upwards, downwards or radial direction.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES

These and other features, aspects and advantages of the disclosure will become more fully apparent from the following detailed description, appended claims, and accompanying drawings, wherein the drawings illustrate features in accordance with exemplary aspects of the disclosure, and wherein:

FIG. 1 is a top level perspective view of a cable tray system according to one aspect of the disclosure;

FIG. 2A is a top level perspective view of a cable tray system in a first position according to one aspect of the disclosure;

FIG. 2B is a top level perspective view of a cable tray system with portions in a rigid second position according to one aspect of the disclosure;

FIG. 3A is an isometric view of a cable tray system in a first position according to one aspect of the disclosure;

FIG. 3B is an isometric view of a cable tray system in a second position according to one aspect of the disclosure;

FIG. 4 is a top level perspective view of a cable tray system according to one aspect of the disclosure;

FIG. 5 is a is an isometric view of a cable tray system according to one aspect of the disclosure;

FIG. 6A is a bottom front view of a cable tray system according to one aspect of the disclosure; and

FIG. 6B is a front view of a cable tray system in a second, rigid position according to one aspect of the disclosure;

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The accompanying figures and this description depict and describe aspects of a cable conveyance system in accordance with the present disclosure, and features and components thereof. It should also be noted that any references herein to front and back, right and left, top and bottom, iso or isometric, upper and lower are intended for convenience of description, not to limit the present invention or its components to any one positional or spatial orientation.

Before any aspects of the disclosure are explained in detail, it will be understood that the disclosure is not limited in its application to the details of construction and the arrangement of components set forth in the following description or illustrated in the following drawings. The disclosure is capable of other aspects and of being practiced or of being carried out in various ways. Also, it will be understood that the phraseology and terminology used herein is for the purpose of description and should not be regarded as limiting. The use of “including,” “comprising,” or “having” and variations thereof herein is meant to encompass the items listed thereafter and equivalents thereof as well as additional items. All numbers expressing measurements and so forth used in the specification and claims are to be understood as being modified in all instances by the term “about.”

Various aspects of the present disclosure are directed to a cable conveyance system for routing cables. With reference to FIGS. 1-6, an aspect of a flex-fitting tray system 10 is described in detail. As shown in FIG. 1, flex-fitting tray system 10 includes two or more tray sections 20 a and 20 b, each having a floor 22 on which cables routed through the system will rest. At least a portion of each floor 22 is substantially horizontal. While two tray sections 20 a and 20 b are depicted, in some embodiments the flex-fitting tray system 10 comprises multiple tray sections 20 a, 20 b.

Each tray section 20 a or 20 b further comprises a first side rail 12 a and second side rail 12 b. In some embodiments, the side rails 12 a and 12 b are spaced apart by a population of transverse rungs 16 extending between the first and second side rails 12 a, 12 b. In other embodiments, the side rails 12 a and 12 b are spaced apart by one or more plates (not shown). While not shown, it will be understood that flex-fitting tray system 10 may be installed on other types and/or construction of cable trays.

The population of transverse rungs 16 are spaced at intervals along the length of first and second side rails 12 a, 12 b, forming a ladder-like structure. In some embodiments, the rungs are spaced 2 inches from one another, while in other embodiments, the rungs may be spaced closer to one another (i.e., less than 2 inches), or further apart from one another (i.e., greater than 2 inches). In some embodiments, the rungs 16 are 4 inches wide, thus spacing the rails 12 a and 12 b approximately 4 inches from one another, however, the rungs can be wider or less wide, depending upon the desired dimensions of each tray section 20 a or 20 b. In some embodiments, wires or cables will lay length-wise in the trays system 10, such that they lay upon the side rails 12 a, 12 b.

In some embodiments, the tray sections 20 a and 20 b further comprise end pieces 25 a and 25 b that are affixed approximately parallel to the rungs 16. In some embodiments, the end pieces are curved or bent to accommodate and/or to provide further support for the cables. In some embodiments, end pieces 25 a and 25 b are spaced at a closer distance to the closest rung 16, such that the spacing is approximately the same as the spacing of the rungs 16, in other embodiments, end pieces 25 a and 25 b are spaced at a further distance or a closer distance than the spacing of rungs 16.

Cable and electrical wires placed in the cable tray system 10 typically rest on the floor 22 of tray sections 20 a and 20 b.

Rungs 16 may be tack welded to first and second side rails 12 a, 12 b on one or more sides of rungs 16, for example, at locations A and B. Additionally, rungs 16 may be welded to first and second side rails 12 a, 12 b at a plurality of locations along rails 12 a and 12 b. In some embodiments, rungs 16 are welded to the undersides of rails 12 a and 12 b. In other aspects, for example, rungs 16 may be mechanically fastened to first and second side rails 12 a, 12 b in a variety of ways including, but not limited to, screws, bolts, rivets, etc. instead of or in addition to welding.

The first and second side rails 12 a, 12 b and the transverse rungs 16 are preferably constructed of steel or an alloy thereof; however, it will be understood that any type of suitable material may be used, including, but not limited to, plastics, aluminum, stainless steel, or alloys thereof. First and second side rails 12 a, 12 b and transverse rungs 16 may be formed by extruding, casting, bending, or any other type of forming known in the art.

The two or more tray sections 20 a and 20 b of flex-fitting tray system 10 are coupled to one another or joined to one another using one or more flex-wires 50. In some embodiments, flex-wire 50 is in an elongated u-shape. In other embodiments, flex-wire 50 can have an elongated oval or square-like shape. As shown in FIG. 1, some embodiments can have multiple tray sections 20, each attached to one another by one or more flex wires 50. As such, the flex-fitted tray system is customizable.

The flex-wires 50 are flexible such that they enable the tray sections 20 a and 20 b to be bendable and/or moveable away from one another in a horizontal, vertical and/or radial direction. The flex-wires 50 are preferably constructed of a bendable material such as steel; however, it will be understood that any type of suitable material may be used, including, but not limited to, plastics, aluminum, stainless steel or alloys thereof. At the same time, flex-wires 50 are rigid such that they maintain the positions of the tray sections.

In some embodiments, flex-wires 50 are generally U-shaped and extend a length, L, wherein a first leg of the U-shaped flex-wire 50 is fastened to a first cable tray 20 a and wherein a second leg of the flex-wire 50 is fastened to a second cable tray 20 b. Fastening, as used herein, can be by any means, including but not limited to welding, gluing, or mechanically affixing means. In other embodiments, the flex-wires 50 can be shaped in other manners, including, but not limited to a V or W shape.

As illustrated in FIG. 1, in some embodiments, flex-wire 50 is fastened to one or more parts of a second side rail 12 b of a first tray section 20 a (at location X) and/or fastened to one or more parts of a first side rail 12 a of a second tray section 20 b (at location Y). In other embodiments, the end portion of the legs of flex-wires 50 can be bent at the ends at approximately a 90 degree angle, and the bent portion of the ends can then be fastened to one or more rungs 16, while additionally and/or alternatively the unbent leg portion can be fastened to one or more parts of a side rail 12 a.

In other embodiments, and with reference to the dashed line in FIG. 1, the end portion of the legs of flex-wires 50 can be bent at the ends at approximately a 90 degree angle and the bent portions can be continuous from one flex wire 50 to the next adjacent flex wire 50, such that the 90 degree leg portion forms a rung 16 between the two side rails 12 a and 12 b. In other embodiments, not shown, flex-wire 50 is temporarily affixed to side rails 12 a and 12 b using a fastening device 60. In other embodiments, described herein, one or more of the legs of the flex-wire 50 couples to one or more of side rails 12 a and 12 b by hooking around the rails.

Also with reference to FIG. 1, in some embodiments, two or more tray sections 20 a and 20 b may be joined together by a common side rail 12, and not include any flex-wires 50 connecting the tray portions. In those such embodiments the two or more tray sections 20 a and 20 b may not be moveable in relation to one another.

As shown in FIG. 2a , in some embodiments, the primary tray sections 20 a and 20 b further includes one or more sidewalls 24 a and 24 b extending upwardly from and/or downwardly from, and generally perpendicularly to, the floor 22. For example, in some embodiments, the sidewalls 24 a and 24 b are portions of the floor 22 that have been bent vertically upward or downward from the horizontal plane of the floor 22.

For embodiments in which the primary tray sections 20 a and 20 b further include one or more sidewalls 24 a and 24 b extending vertically upward or downward from, and generally perpendicularly to, the floor 22, flex-wires 50 can be bent in an “L” shape that approximately matches the “L” shape of the bend of the sidewalls 24 a and 24 b from the floor 22. In other embodiments, the ends of the flex-wires may be bent at other angles less than, or greater than 90 degrees. For example, in some embodiments, the legs of the flex-wires can be bent at approximately 45 degree angles.

With reference to FIG. 2B, because flex-wires 50 a and 50 b are flexible, primary tray section 20 a is moveable and/or bendable away from tray section 20 b. That is, flex-wires 50 a and 50 b enable tray section 20 a to be pulled apart from tray section 20 b and rotated upwards or downwards from the same horizontal plane as tray section 20 b.

With reference to one embodiment illustrated in FIG. 3A and FIG. 3B, flex-wires 50 a and 50 b can be used to move tray sections 20 a and 20 b away from one another in a radial direction. For example, in some embodiments, flex-wire 50 b may be pulled so that tray sections 20 a and 20 b rotate radially outward from the axis created by the intersection of the inverted “U” of flex-wire 50 a, and the floor 22 formed by tray sections 20 a and 20 b. In some embodiments and with reference to FIG. 3B, flex-wires 50 a can be moved radially outwardly away from each other, while flex wires 50 b can be moved radially inwardly towards another such that the tray sections 20 can be moved away from one another. In some embodiments, depending upon the direction of force exerted on flex-wires 50 a or 50 b, tray sections 20 can also be moved away from the horizontal plane defined by the floor 22 and/or from the vertical plane defined by the side wall 24 a. In other embodiments (not shown), the welds at location A and B in FIG. 3A may be cut using a bolt cutter or other similar device such that only flex-wire 50 b, and not flex-wire 50 a, remains attached to tray sections 20 a and 20 b, and thus bending of flex-wire 50 b only causes the tray sections 20 to move away from one another.

While FIGS. 2a, 2b, 3a and 3b show embodiments with multiple flex-wires, in some embodiments, flex-fitting tray systems 10 comprise a single flex-wire 50 coupled to tray sections 20 a and 20 b. For example, with reference to FIG. 4, flex-fitting tray system 10 comprise tray sections 20 a and 20 b coupled to one another by a single, oval-like flex-wire 50. FIG. 4 additionally contains additional tray sections coupled by additional flex-wires.

As illustrated in FIG. 5, single flex-wires 50 can also be used in tray systems 10 that have one or more bends in the trays portions 20 a and 20 b. In embodiments illustrated in FIGS. 4 and 5, a first side of the loop-shaped flex-wire 50 is fastened to a first cable tray and a second side of the loop-shaped flex-wire 50 is fastened to a second cable tray. The sides of flex-wire 50 can be fastened in one or more locations to tray portions 20 a and 20 b.

With reference to FIG. 6A, in some embodiments, one or more of the legs of flex-wire 50 is shaped as a loop to couple to a side rail 12 b or 12 a to help secure the flex-wire 50 to the tray sections 20 a and 20 b. In some embodiments, the legs of flex-wire 50 (U, V, W or otherwise shaped) can be additionally fastened to side rails 12 a and 12 b and/or fastened to one of the side rails 12 a, and looped around other side rail 12 b using loop 55. In other embodiments, the legs of flex-wire 50 can be looped around both side rails 12 a and 12 b using loops 55.

In other embodiments, with reference to FIGS. 6A and 6B, one or more fastening devices 60 can help keep flex-wire 50 rigid where needed, for example, where it is coupled to tray sections 20 a and 20 b in a removably lockable manner. In other embodiments, the flex-wires 50 can be coupled to side rails 12 a and/or 12 b, rungs 16, end pieces 24A and/or 24 b by welding or some other fastening means. In some embodiments, due to the curved flange portions 65 a, b, and/or c of fastening device 60, fastening device 60 can hook onto side rails 12 a and/or 12 b, rungs 16, end pieces 24A and/or 24 b, and/or flex-wires 50. In other embodiments, fastening device has only one or two flange portions 65, such as on the sides of the fastening device 60, but not along the top end of fastening device 60. In some embodiments, where flex-wire 50 does not include a loop 55, fastening devices 60 can be further secured to side rails 12 a and/or 12 b, rungs 16, end pieces 24A and/or 24 b, and/or flex-wires 50 with a pair of pliers or some other means. In some embodiments, fastening devices 60 can be a Faslock clip sold by Cablofil, including, but not limited to a Faslock Auto clip, a Faslock Auto S clip, and/or a Faslock Auto XL clip. Fastening device 60 can be made of electrozinc, hot dip galvanized, stainless steel 316L or other suitable metal or plastic materials. Fastening devices 60 are removably lockable and can be released from tray system 10 by twisting them or using pliers or some other means.

In some embodiments, fastening device 60 is positioned on the internal angle of a radius bend after flex-wire 50 has been cut or bent and tray portion 20 a has been radius away from tray portion 20 b (not shown). In such cases, fastening device 60 locks the tray system 10 into a rigid second position.

Thus, there has been shown and described a novel cable tray system including a flexible-wire, which overcomes many of the problems of the prior art. It will be apparent, however, to those familiar in the art, that many changes, variations, modifications, and other uses and applications for the subject devices and methods are possible. All such changes, variations, modifications, and other uses and applications that do not depart from the spirit and scope of the disclosure are deemed to be covered by the disclosure which is limited only by the claims which follow. 

What is claimed is:
 1. A cable tray system comprising: two or more rigid cable tray sections coupled by one or more flex-wires for joining the cable tray sections, wherein each cable tray section comprises: a first side rail and a second side rail arranged substantially parallel to one another; a floor extending between and connecting the first and second side rails; and one or more sidewalls extending vertically upward or downward from, and generally perpendicularly to, the floor of the cable tray section; wherein the flex-wires each comprise: a flex-wire extending a length, L, wherein a first leg of the flex-wire is coupled to a first cable tray section and wherein a second leg of the flex-wire is coupled to a second cable tray section; wherein the ends each of the flex-wires for joining the cable tray sections is bent in one of an L shape that approximately matches the L shape of the bend of the sidewalls from the floor of the cable tray sections or a 45-degree angle that does not match the L shape of the bend of the sidewalls from the floor of the cable tray sections; and wherein, upon exerting tension on the flex-wires, the first and second cable tray sections move away from one another from a first position to a second position.
 2. The cable tray system of claim 1, further comprising a removable fastening device coupled to the two or more cable tray sections to minimize flexibility of the two or more cable tray sections, relative to one another, when coupled.
 3. The cable tray system of claim 2, the removable fastening device locks at least a portion of the cable tray system into the second position, keeping at least a portion of the cable tray system from the first position.
 4. The cable tray system of claim 1, wherein each of the flex-wires comprises a material that is bendable.
 5. The cable tray system of claim 1, wherein upon exerting tension on the flex-wire, the first cable tray section moves away from the second cable tray section from a first position to a second position in one of a substantially upwards, downwards and radial direction, or any combination of upwards, downwards or radial direction.
 6. A cable tray system comprising a first and a second rigid cable tray sections coupled by one or more flex-wires, wherein upon exerting tension on at least one flex-wire, the first cable tray section moves away from the second cable tray section from a first position to a second position in two of a substantially upwards, downwards, and radial direction or any combination of upwards, downwards and radial direction.
 7. The cable tray system of claim 2, wherein the first leg of the flex-wire is coupled to the first cable tray section by a looped end of the first leg that encircles a portion of the first cable tray section.
 8. The cable tray system of claim 1, wherein the one or more flex-wires are one of U-, V- or W-shaped. 